There is something missing from our world. The amazing creatures that time has left behind. But what if we could bring them back?
What if extinction did not have to be forever?
We are going back in time on a safari with a difference as wildlife adventurer Nigel Marvin plunges into prehistory to rescue creatures on the brink of extinction. Alongside a colleague and three unusual collaborators, his plan is to bring them back to the safety of the present and give them a second chance.
On his very first mission, he returns to the origins of some of the most extraordinary creatures that ever existed, the dinosaurs, as he plans to save the last of a once widespread group of unique reptiles.
Welcome to the ultimate wildlife sanctuary.
Welcome to Prehistoric Park.
Xxxxxxx
It is a very big day at Prehistoric Park. All over the park, final preparations are made for every exhibit.
« Come on, lads! Quick as you like! » Bob, head game keeper of the park, motioned to the staff. « Can you get a 10-foot pole down to the bottom of the paddock. »
They have almost finished the enclosures for everything from giant insects to dinosaurs.
« Check everything! This is home to a dangerous creature! » Bob said as he continued to oversee the preparations.
If Nigel can make prehistoric animals at home anywhere, it is here.
On the other side of the park, Nigel is sitting next to his jeep, parked on a hillside, looking at a map of the island that houses the park.
Nigel: «The natural geography will help us contain the animals. To the South there is an ocean and to the North, there is a mountain range. In between, everything I need in terms of habitats: there's rivers, lakes, plains, forests, deserts, snow fields, and even a waterfall. Perfect environments for prehistoric animals. »
All they need now are the prehistoric creatures themselves.
One day Nigel plans to breed extinct animals in captivity.
But his first step is to only bring a few of each species back to see how they get on in the 21st century.
And Nigel knows exactly what he wants to start with.
But it is not what most would expect.
Xxxxxxx
After having overseen the island, Nigel has returned to his office, and prepared to open a large box.
He is planning to save an unusual creature largely unknown by the general public. One of the last of a group of reptiles that walked the earth.
Once Nigel opened the box, he pulled out a large skull of a large creature. The skull was huge, 68 centimetres long with a beak and two short tusks.
Nigel: « What you are seeing here is the skull of an incredible, if not unsung, animal of a long-lost era, the Triassic. This is the skull of Placerias hesternus, one of the last dicynodonts that ever walked on earth. This animal was discovered in the 30's near St. Johns, Arizona, with over 40 Placerias found. What is interesting about Placerias is the fact they are dicynodonts, a sort of reptilian-mammal hybrid. Now, most dicynodonts died out during the Permian-Triassic mass extinction, better known as the Great Dying, but some managed to survive and evolve to become some of the largest herbivores during the Triassic, and among them were the Placerias. My hope is to go back in time to save at least one of them and bringing it to the safety of the 21st century. »
But this 1-ton beast is not the only creature Nigel aims to save. In his list, there is space for one more little critter, a key figure for mammal evolution itself.
After putting the Placerias skull back in the box, he then went to open a smaller box, containing a smaller fossil of a mandible.
Nigel: « Going from giants to dwarfs, this is the mandible of a cynodont, a missing link between reptiles and mammals. Most specifically, this is the mandible of a specie discovered in 2020, Kataigidodon venetus. It may be small, but creatures like these are some of our oldest ancestors, I think this little fella deserves a spot in Prehistoric Park, just like any other creature on our planet. »
But no man is an island. If Nigel is to rescue these incredible creatures, he is going to need help. And answering the call is an expert of the natural world.
Our world has had a plethora of giant monsters lurking in the waters. And capturing them is not going to be easy. Not without an expert.
Jeremy Wade is one such expert. He is regarded as one of the most accomplished fishermen of all time, having travelled the world and caught a multitude of different species of fresh and saltwater fish. And now he will be able to add prehistoric fishes in his resume.
He was waiting by an enclosure containing some hippos. While Prehistoric Park main purpose is to rescue extinct animals, modern animals are also a welcome addition. Nigel walked towards Wade who greeted him warmly. « I trust you did not have to wait for too long. I just had to make the right preparations. » Nigel explained. « No problem at all. We just got here. We were just admiring the creatures here, but something tells me we are going to see even more spectacular creatures. » Jeremy said.
« True that. And I can tell that already in our first mission, we are going to need your skills. I will explain everything in my office, but before we go, where are our three drivers? » Nigel asked. « Do not worry, they are coming, we were just early. Still, I am a bit surprised that those three are part of this expedition. » Jeremy commented.
« Yeah, it is a bit of a surprise. But the truth is that these guys decided to sponsor Prehistoric Park heavily in exchange of their participation. Nothing major, just the three of us driving the cars in our expedition, and if they start to fool around too much, we can kick them out, but all things considered they seem to be very interested and serious about this project. » Nigel explained.
« No problem, I know this project must be expensive. And while they do fool around at times, they also know when to stop when things are serious. » Jeremy commented. « And hey, if we can teach them something about the extraordinary creatures that used to live on this planet, they can explain a few things about cars! » Nigel joked, gaining a laugh from his colleague.
Xxxxxxx
Driving a yellow Ford Ranger Raptor to the front of the park was one of the three that would accompany Nigel in his adventures.
Jeremy Clarkson: I was the first to arrive in this fine establishment, and already from the get-go, this place spoke security. Whilst in many B movie prehistoric zoos they seek women with great boobs, here I could only see women with big brain and even bigger strength, competent individuals trained to handle animals, and even their choice in cars was superb. Instead of picking fancy cars, they use Land-Rover 90, with high Ultra off-road capabilities, surprisingly refined on-road and even with a well-equipped interior.
As he parked inside of the park, Clarkson looked around before being greeted by Nigel and Wade. « Good to see you, Jeremy. » Nigel greeted the man. « Ready to drive in the land of the past? » Wade asked. « Indeed. And as you can see, I am well prepared. » Clarkson responded. « So, what do we have here? » Nigel asked.
« This is the Ford Ranger Raptor, and it does everything an off-road vehicle should. It is bonkers to look at and, with 392 horsepower under the hood, it is bonkers to drive as well. It has a powerful engine, an amazing steering, and it is a beast off-road. Granted, it IS expensive, but- » Clarkson explained his car, before another one came in.
This time, it was a Citroen Mehari, driven by another of the expedition drivers.
Clarkson: Ah, it seems Mr May has arrived in a safari car!
Once parked, coming out of the car was James May, with Clarkson looking disappointed by the vehicle. « Hello gentlemen! This is the Citroen Mehari. And it is, pound for pound, the most exciting car on sale. Based on the Citroen Dyane 6 - the successor to the 2CV - the Mehari does not boast the twin-engine set up of its ancestor, but is available with a proper 4WD system. A plastic body and diminutive size mean that the Mehari is brilliant off-road, even in FWD form, and was used by the French military for a number of years. » James explained.
« The French military? » Clarkson asked doubtful. « Yes. » James responded. « The one that surrendered in 6 weeks? » Clarkson joked. « Yes. » James said once more. « And you think this thing can traverse the land of the dinosaurs and beyond? What have you got, 29 horsepower? » Clarkson asked. « Yeah. » James casually responded. « 392. » Clarkson responded as he pointed at his car. « Well now you are just showing off. » James commented.
« It kinda looks like a Land Rover. » Nigel noted. « Yes, in the same way the Egyptian army looks like the American army. » Clarkson responded.
Clarkson: Mercifully, at this point Hammond arrived….in a car from the 50's.
Richard Hammond, the third driver, parked his car, a Fiat Campagnola. « Gentlemen, behold, the Fiat Campagnola. The best off-road vehicle ever! » Hammond proudly announced. « Well, apart for a couple of things. One is, it is not very hot. And, two, it looks ancient. » Clarkson commented. « It looks like something my grandma would have used back in the day. » Wade joked, half laughing. « Well, you would not be wrong. This bad boy was first produced in 1951, BUT! But it has 64 horsepower. » Hammond explained.
« More than James, surprisingly. » Clarkson commented. « ANYWAY, before we derail further, I do believe we should explain why we are here in the first place. » Hammond intervened. « Yes, I mean, we know that the Top Gear studio is sponsoring Prehistoric Park, but I found it a bit weird that you three to participate in this voyage. No offense, but you do not look like biologist. » Nigel commented.
« As a matter of fact, you ARE correct, Nigel Marvin. BUT Top Gear has been very keen in helping supporting this conservation project. » Clarkson explained. « Probably to compensate for all carbon dioxide we release in the atmosphere with our cars. » James commented. « Well, you did not have to say it to his face, you moron. » Hammond scolded his colleague.
« Well, you have got to be honest, really- » James justified himself before being interrupted by Clarkson. « ANYWAY! At first the Top Gear studio considered just setting a remote part of the island as a site for our challenges and programming, given that there is enough space for everyone in here if we do not disturb your conservation work. BUT! Top Gear studio had an idea regarding challenges. You see, my orangutan colleagues here still fail to realize the superiority of the Raptor as the ultimate off-road vehicle. »
« I mean for one it is bloody expensive. How much is it, 72000 pounds? » James asked. « Yeah, but think about the power! » Clarkson responded. « You will not, because you will just run out of gas » James shot back. « ANYWAY! As we have not been able to yet prove which off-road vehicle is the superior one, Top Gear studio decided to give us this lovely challenge. » Hammond intervened, before giving a letter to Nigel.
« "To figure out which car is the superior off-road vehicle, you will be aiding Nigel Marvin and Jeremy Wade into rescuing all matter of extinct species from our earth's history. The cars that will suffer the less breakdowns and that will perform better in prehistoric conditions will be declared the winner of the challenge." » Nigel read out loud.
« Is that it? » Wade asked. « Yup. » Clarkson responded. « You just need to prove which car is better off road? » Wade asked again. « Apparently. » was James's response. « Well how hard can that be? » Wade pondered. « We will soon find out. Let us go to my office, I will explain everything there. » Nigel motioned the group.
Xxxxxxx
The group reached Nigel office after a short walk, with the former preparing a map.
« So, what ancient creature are we set to save first? » James asked. « You can look at its skull on the box over there, just be careful. » Nigel responded. James carefully pulled out the box and opened it to see what was inside. The skull of the animal shocked the group. « Holy Moley! » Clarkson exclaimed at the sight. « It is a rhino, isn't it? » James tried to guess. « Not really, it is far more ancient, that there is the skull of a prehistoric herbivore called Placerias hesternus, one of the last of a great group of reptile-mammal hybrids called dicynodonts. » Nigel explained, before pointing at a map.
« This is earth 200 million years ago, and fossil evidence shows us that there were masses of Placerias in what is now Arizona. It was a different world, there were rivers, lakes and floodplains, perfect habitat for Placerias. » Nigel explained.
To rescue the last of the Placerias, Nigel and his crew will travel back in time in a world where all continents were united under one banner, Pangea, and the birthplace of the most extraordinary creatures to ever have walked the earth: the dinosaurs.
Xxxxxxx
After having made the proper preparations, Nigel, Wade, Clarkson, James, and Hammond crosses the time portal, and arrived in Norian Arizona, Nigel driving a Land-Rover 90 and leading the group. Right now, they and the crew are in a tropical floodplain, not too far from a river.
All around them were huge trees, which looked like the giant sequoia. The trunks were large and slender, tapering slightly towards their apex. Their trunks had a diameter of 2.9 meters at its base, and a height of 59 meters. The branches were slender and bent upwards at around 30-40 degrees above the horizontal. The branches were regularly and widely spaced around nearly the entire trunk.
200 million years ago Arizona looks very different.
The world is dominated by deserts, the climate is monsoonic, with abundant precipitations mixed with long periods of drought.
But here in Arizona, there is a respite of some sort. Rivers and lakes are abundant, and this allows for life to flourish here.
Clarkson: « Not exactly what I remembered about Arizona. No deserts, no canyons, plenty of water, no old people, Clint Estwood is nowhere to be seen, and no crazy uneducated madmen with a shotgun. Well, this is easy to explain, Arizona is one of the state members of the Chinle formation, which was indeed a massive river back in the Triassic, and it will be this very river, depositing sediments, that will create the great canyon. Monsoons hit the area occasionally, and then there are up to 9-ish months of drought. »
Hammond: « All right, Nigel explained some things to us before venturing in this sweat away five pounds challenge of a land. Dinosaurs are still rare, Placerias is among one of the largest herbivores around here, amphibians are as big as crocodiles, and crocodiles are…surprisingly dino-like. »
« You think you will catch any giants in this river? » James asked Wade, which was on Nigel's car, on the radio. « I sure hope so. It is not just fishes I will be probably after. In the Triassic, giant amphibians were still common. This is because crocodiles have yet evolved to take over the waters, but they are not the only giants that live in this river. »
Wade: Before crocodiles took over the water, Nigel told me there were other beasts that could rival the dinosaurs in size: Phytosaurs. Phytosaurs are an extinct group of large, mostly semiaquatic Late Triassic long-snouted and heavily armoured reptiles, bearing a remarkable resemblance to modern crocodiles in size, appearance, and lifestyle, as an example of convergence evolution. The name "phytosaur" means "plant reptile", as the first fossils of phytosaurs were mistakenly thought to belong to plant eaters. A misleading name: the sharp teeth in their jaws clearly show that they were apex predators in their environment. Phytosaurs had a nearly global distribution during the Triassic. Fossils have been recovered from Europe, North America, India, Morocco, Thailand, Brazil, Greenland, and Madagascar. Fossils attributed to phytosaurs have been found in Early Jurassic rocks, possibly extending their temporal range beyond the Triassic-Jurassic boundary. However, the majority will be extinct by the end of the Triassic.
« So, Nigel, who do you think is going to die first, Hammond or James? I am tempted to say the latter with his whooping 29 horsepower. » Clarkson joked. « Oh, cock off, Clarkson. » James responded annoyed. « If we are careful and do not do anything stupid, we should be fine. » Nigel reassured the two on the radio. Soon, the three cars arrived near the river.
« Well, here we are in the Chinle river. » Clarkson declared. « The Chinle river? » James asked. « Well, Chinle Formation, Chinle River. Simple as that. » Clarkson explained. « Chinle is the name of the formation, you muppet! » James commented. « Which was formed by this river, henceforth this is the Chinle river! » Clarkson justified himself.
« In truth, the Chinle formation was formed by a combination of lacustrine and fluvial sediments. » Nigel explained. « Are you going to call the lake Lake Chinle as well? » James asked. « Well, it must have a name! » Clarkson exclaimed. « Why must it have a name? » Hammond asked. « What if we get lost? We need clear landscape markers; therefore, this is now Chinle river! » Clarkson explained.
« Anyway, the wet season must have hit the area recently, which gives us an opportunity. We might be after Placerias, but every animal deserves a second chance. I think it would be a good idea to sail down the river to catch some of the species that depend on the water, so we are going to split up. » Nigel planned.
« Split up? Do you hate us? Do you want us to die? » Hammond asked. Nigel simply laughed. « Oh, do not worry, I am fine. It is just that if we split up, we can cover more ground. As me and Wade try to capture any creature in this river, you will try and capture any creature on land you can find with the help of part of my crew. Coming with you will be Adam, the team leader, say hello to Adam, » Nigel said, as he presented Adam to the three.
« Hello! Nice to finally meet you, I am sure this is going to be a great Top Gear episode. » Adam said as he presented himself. « Right, well, we are under your care Adam. » Clarkson then said, before turning to Nigel. « Well Nigel, if Hammond dies, you will be the first to know. »
« Why must I die? » Hammond asked annoyed. « Because you are the smallest, predators always go for the easiest prey, don't they? » James joked. « Right. Thank you. » Hammond commented annoyed.
Once Wade had took his fishing rod and his baits, the Top Gear trio drove off in the scrublands.
Clarkson: Gingerly, we drove off into the scrublands, in search of the mythical Placerias.
Clarkson: « If what Nigel said is correct, three are the main threats we must face. Phytosaurs, dino-like crocs and giant amphibians. In that order. Ascending order. »
As the trio drove off, Wade looked at them slightly doubtful. « Are you sure it is a good idea to bring them along? » he asked Nigel. « They may look like the three stooges, but these three still faced difficult situations and always came on top. They have been in Bolivia, Iraq, Syria, and so on. They will manage. » Nigel responded.
« So how are we going to capture the creatures this river holds? I think we will need a boat. » Wade noted. « And a boat we will get. » Nigel responded.
Xxxxxxx
After having returned to the 21st century, Nigel and Wade were now on the boat they would use in their adventures. It was the Ancient Mariner, a boat specifically designed to traverse both rivers and oceans.
Wade: it is still a weird sensation to be back to 200 million years back in the past. Never in my life I would have imagined to be able to explore this lost part of our earth history. Superficially, this river may not be so different than the Nile, but we are in Arizona. Makes sense, in a way. This river will be instrumental to create the beautiful geological formations of the Great Canyon.
As Wade was focused on fishing, Nigel looked around for other creatures. After a while, however, he noticed something on a nearby tree. It was a lizard, around 148 centimetres long, resembling a tuatara.
Nigel: « Well this is a peculiar find, especially here in Arizona. That thing is Fraserosphenodon latidens, an extinct genus of sphenodontian from the Late Triassic of the United Kingdom. Sphenodontia is a family of lizard-like reptiles that includes only one living species, the tuatara of New Zealand. Despite its current lack of diversity, during the Mesozoic sphenodonts were a diverse group including a wide array of morphologically distinct forms. The oldest record of the group is dated to the Middle Triassic around 238 to 240 million years ago, and they had achieved a worldwide distribution by the Early Jurassic. Their closest living relatives are lizards and snakes in the order Squamata, with the two orders being grouped together in the superorder Lepidosauria. Many of the niches occupied by lizards today were held by sphenodontians during the Triassic and Jurassic, although lizard diversity began to overtake sphenodontian diversity in the Cretaceous, and they had disappeared almost entirely by the beginning of the Cenozoic. While the modern tuatara is primarily carnivorous, there were also sphenodontians with omnivorous, herbivorous, and durophagous lifestyles. There were even several successful groups of aquatic sphenodontians. I have a snare with me, I can probably catch it with no problem. »
While Wade continued to fish, Nigel grabbed his snare and tested how close he could get to the animal. Slowly and steadily, he managed to catch the animal, which started to thrash around to free himself. « Nice! You got it! » one of the crew members exclaimed. Carefully, Nigel brought the animal on the boat, which opened its mouth in defence.
« God that is a big, big lizard. » Nigel commented at the sight. « Big lizard. Hold on, I am gonna grab it right at the back of the head. » he repeated, as he moved slowly behind the animal. With a swift move, Nigel managed to grab the animal, exclaiming « Got it! » as he did so. He then proceeded to secure the animal by also grabbing it with the other hand. « Okay, let me get the snare off here. » Nigel then said as he continued to hold the animal tightly.
« What do you think, man? That was a great grab. » the crew member asked. « My god, it is strong, I do not want to get bitten by this creature. Hold on a second, let me get a good hold on its head here. I am gonna remove the snare. » Nigel responded, as he moved to remove said snare. But as he tried, the Fraserosphenodon attempted to bite him.
« Woo, okay, made a go at me there. Mario, can you help me out, can you grab that rope? I got a pretty good hold on it. Just, you kinda gotta like, gently loop it up over its head. » Nigel requested the crew member, Mario. « All right. » Mario responded, as he removed the snare. « Okay. There we go. » Nigel said glad.
Nigel: « Now this creature, it is not that different from a tuatara. The name "tuatara" means "spines on the back" in Māori, and of course they refer to the spines on the back. They're also used as sexual dimorphism; males have bigger spines and a bigger head. The tail looks like the one of a crocodile, but can regrow just like a normal lizard, it just takes longer. They are mostly terrestrials, but can climb. Those claws and those strong forelimbs and back legs will allow them to easily scurry up something like a tree. Modern day tuataras have a surprisingly powerful bite force, one that can even kill birds, but as they age their teeth are not replaced, so they must feed on softer food, however this specie is omnivore, meaning it eats both meat and plants. Just like tuataras, this one is greenish brown, all these spiny plates on the back and tail resembling those of a crocodile more than a lizard. Let us put this big guy in one of the cages, shall we? »
Suddenly, however, just as Nigel placed the animal in a cage, something took Wade's bait, and begun to pull. The man was surprised by the strength of the animal, but managed to keep his stance. After a short struggle, he was able to bring the creature to the surface for Nigel to grab it with a net.
It was a lungfish, one metre and a half long, with yellow scales with several green stripes forming elegant shapes.
Wade: « Well, I certainly encountered bigger fish than this, but none of them were extinct. This is Arganodus dorotheae, this is a prehistoric lungfish of the family Ceratodontidae. Arganodus was probably like modern lungfish, and lived in underwater burrows during dry periods until monsoons occurred, which means this one probably got out recently. »
Wade: I have captured a specie phylogenetically close to this one in Australia, and it is not that different from its Aussie modern cousin.
Wade: « Superficially it is very fish-like, it has these scales here, an impressively strong but flexible suit of armour, covering virtually every inch of its five feet long body. And the protective shield of this fish is super sensitive, hiding electrical senses that detect anything in the water that is alive.
Wade: We have something similar with modern day sharks.
Wade: « Just like sharks, they can hunt in total darkness, and strike with absolute precision. »
« All right, let us put it in the tank. » Nigel motioned some of the crew. « Exciting, isn't it? » Wade commented. « Yes! Our first prehistoric animals! Hopefully there will be plenty more. Remember, our main target is the Placerias. » Nigel explained. However, just as he said that, something jumped out of the water. It was the head of a giant, three-metre-long amphibian.
It was wide overall and featured eyes that were very anterior and forward oriented and large nostrils. In addition, the upper jaw was relatively weak and thin. Its large jaws held many teeth, over 100 on each side of the upper and lower jaw.
The teeth were sharp, pointy for catching and killing prey. It had marginal teeth as well as larger teeth on the palate. Some teeth were larger than others.
It had a wide, wedge-shaped, powerful tail to assist it with swimming. It was not long like a crocodile, but short and strong. The legs displayed a sprawling stance and short legs with 4-digits on the front and 5 on the back limbs. It had green-turquoise skin with darker green-turquoise spots on the back, dark turquois stripes on the tail and a green-turquoise belly.
Wade and Nigel were surprised by the giant amphibian emerging from the depths, but before they could give it a good look, it disappeared back in the river.
« What do you think was that? » Wade asked. « Anaschisma browni, a specie of large temnospondyl amphibians. These animals were part of the family called Metoposauridae, which during the late Triassic were the equivalent of crocodiles alongside phytosaurs. Its skull alone was about 62 centimetres long, and it could reach almost 10 feet of length, around 3 metres. It was an ambush hunter, snapping up anything small enough to fit in its huge jaws. It was very common during the Late Triassic, especially here in Arizona. » Nigel explained.
« I guess it will not survive for long after the end of the Triassic. » Wade noted. « It is likely that they went extinct during the Triassic-Jurassic extinction event, along with most other large amphibians, the class of Conodonts and 34% of all marine life. It is unknown what caused this mass extinction; theories include huge volcanic eruptions, climate change, oceanic acidification, and even another asteroid impact. It is known, however, that over half of the species living on Earth at that time went extinct from this event. It would be a great addition to Prehistoric Park. » Nigel explained.
« I do not think I have any sort of bait for something like that. » Wade commented. « I know. The best approach I can think of is something you probably will not agree with. » Nigel responded. « What do you have in mind? » Wade asked. « Anaschisma will not follow the Ancient Mariner, but the river is not that wide. If we can lure it near the coast where the water is shallower, we can restrain it there where we have the advantage in movement. However, in order to do so, we need to get under water. » Nigel explained.
« You sure it is a good idea? » Wade asked. « Anaschisma was not an animal built for speed. Its tail is rather short, meaning it was more designed for short bursts of speed to capture prey. If we keep a good distance, we should be able to be safe from its powerful jaws. But we best be careful, there are other threats out there in the water. I think we'll be safe from phytosaur attacks, the water seems to be too cold for them to be active. » Nigel explained.
Wade: The idea is risky, but the opportunity to save one of the last giant amphibians in the world makes it worth it. But the water here, is also infested by phytosaurs.
Soon, the duo got ready with their scuba equipment, and dive in the prehistoric waters.
There, they found themselves in an alien world. The light coming from above mixed with the darkness of the depth and various other micro-organisms gave the river an eerie look.
Wade: we are at most vulnerable at the surface, which Nigel calls "the kill zone." To a lurking phytosaur my silhouette would present a clear and tempting target. So, to minimize the risk of an attack, we descend quickly to the riverbed.
Wade: « It is a totally different world than how I would have imagined it. The most dangerous animals are the ones that you cannot see, so eyes peeled. »
Wade: It is hard to stay relaxed in this nerve-wracking situation.
Wade: « It is almost like…. being in a plane and flying into a thunderstorm. It is all bright around you…and you are just being taken…. being taken by the current to this area of dark. But, as you approach, it lightens up, but you're always rather concerned about what might be there. »
Wade: I must remind myself that I am here to find the Anaschisma. So far, it seems to have disappeared. Could the giant amphibian have moved I wonder? Or is our presence down here making it wary?
As the two continued their dive in the river, they found themselves in front of a giant. It resembled some sort of monitor lizard mixed with a crocodile, and it was almost 4 metres long. Imbricating osteoderms covered the entire body, the limbs were relatively short, and the skull was highly ossified. The nostrils faced upward and the jaw contained enlarged caniniform fangs. Each osteoderm possessed a pronounced central keel and an anterior projection.
Behind the eyes, the head was long and boxy, with a wide and flat skull roof. In front of the eyes, on the other hand, the head was short, triangular, and thin. Grooves covered the skull roof while tiny pores coated the head near the mouth.
The maxilla was simple and triangular. The front tip of the maxilla possessed a toothless notch, which accepted the canines. The second tooth of the maxilla was also a caniniform tooth, approximately the same size as the other. These fangs were flattened from the side, curved backwards, and serrated on their rear edge. This contrasted with the rest of the teeth, which were generally cone-shaped. The single tooth in front of the maxillary fang, as well four immediately behind it were very small. These small teeth were followed by six somewhat larger maxillary teeth and a final small tooth.
Five teeth were also present in each premaxilla, with the third tooth being a caniniform tooth. The snout was long and rectangular, and at its front were the rounded, upwards-pointing nares.
The lower jaw possessed diverse teeth like those of the maxilla and premaxilla. The first few were large and conical, and the fourth or fifth tooth was yet another enlarged caniniform tooth. Unlike the maxillary caniniform tooth which was serrated on both the front and rear edges, the lower jaw caniform was serrated on only the rear edge. Lower jaw teeth past the caniform were like those in the rear part of the maxilla. The outer face of the lower also had a depression near the tooth row about midway down the length of the jaw. This depression received the maxillary fang while the mouth was closed. It had a relatively long neck and the tail was deep. It did not seem to possess claws in its fingers.
The body was heavily armoured, coated in various bony plates known as osteoderms. There were five to six distinct osteoderm variants which were expressed at different parts of the body. The throat region, between the shoulder and jaws, possessed teardrop-shaped and sometimes keeled osteoderms, with a pointed front tip and rounded rear edge. The osteoderms on the back and sides of the body tightly overlapped and possessed front spurs and low keels, but the osteoderms that formed several rows on the back were more symmetrical and diamond-shaped. The osteoderms on the sides, on the other hand, were asymmetrical, with a smaller lower portion that slants forward, a front spur that dipped slightly downwards, and a rear tip that was more pointed than those of the back osteoderms.
The osteoderms that covered the belly were large, boxy, and rounded, with large keels and heavily serrated front edges. The upper side of the tail also possessed very characteristic and unusual osteoderms, elongated plates that stuck up from the tail. They were wide at their base but flattened elsewhere, and acquired a swept-back orientation. They formed a tail fin to assist swimming. They were largest towards the front of the tail and gradually decreased in height and overall size towards the tip. The limbs were covered with smaller, rounder, and thinner osteoderms than those of the body.
It was dark yellow in coloration, with some osteoderms being dark yellow-green, and the ones in the belly being yellow.
While at first curious at the two, the creature quickly lost interest, and continued to swim on the bottom of the river.
Wade: First sign of life is this extremely peculiar creature, Vancleavea campi, named after Phillip Van Cleave, who discovered the first known remains.
Wade: « Nice to see some life form down here. »
Soon, the lonely Vancleavea was joined by many others, until there was about 12 of them.
Wade: Vancleavea is a specie of armoured, non-archosaurian archosauriforms from the Late Triassic of western North America, and it is one of the most bizarre reptiles I have ever seen. Most notable of this specie is its short snouts with large, fang-like teeth, and long bodies with small limbs. It is completely covered with bony plates known as osteoderms, which comes in several different varieties distributed around the body. Nigel says it mostly fed on fish. At almost 4 meters in length, it is as big as a croc, yet it pales in comparison to phytosaurs.
Suddenly, however, the Vancleavea darted away, and both Nigel and Wade could see why. Two giant silhouettes appeared from the darkness of the depths. Soon, the two creatures emerged from the dark, and both Nigel and Wade could see the two animals clearly.
The smaller one was a "mere" 8 metres long. Its nostrils were towards and above the eyes. The head was huge, being about 120 cm long. It was grey-brown in coloration.
The larger one was a true titan: at 12 meters of length, it was as big as T-rex. Its nostrils were close to the top of its head. The rostral crest and nasal bulge supporting these raised nostrils were large. Its head was extremely large, probably around 155 cm long. The jaws were very short and broad, with large tusks at the anterior of the mouth and more blade-like teeth closer to the back of the mouth. The tusks were mounted on a bulge at the tip of the snout.
It had a dark bronze colouration above, with faded blackish spots and stripes appearing across the back and a dingy off-yellow on the belly. The flanks, which were yellowish-green in colour, had dark patches arranged in oblique stripes in highly variable patterns.
« Phytosaurs! » Wade exclaimed at the sight. « Do not make any sudden moves! » Nigel warned his colleague. « All right, but Jesus these two are huge! » Wade responded.
Wade: They look right at us, and keep moving. We follow them, trusting in Nigel's theory that the water is still too cold for these reptiles to be on feeding mode. But even if this is true, the phytosaurs will still bite us if we get too close to their head. And with jaws powerful enough to kill animals such as Placerias, they might as well cut us in half.
After initial contact with the two men, the two animals continued to swim forward, until they stopped on a small underwater sand bank.
« What species do you think these are? » Wade asked, as he was now close enough to the giants to be able to touch the tips of their tails. « Without a doubt, Angistorhinus grandis and Smilosuchus gregorii. The former was first named by Mehl in 1913. Other species have been discovered from Texas and Wyoming, Angistorhinus alticephalus, Angistorhinus gracilis and Angistorhinus maximus. There is even a possibility of this animal in Morocco. The other one, Smilosuchus, it is without a doubt the apex predator of the Chinle formation. » Nigel explained.
« Unbelievable. Unbelievable, that we can get this close that I can touch the tail of these giants. » Wade said, as he touched the tail.
Wade: « Who would have thought this was possible, holding the tail of these giants. But, in theory this makes perfect sense. When their body temperature is low, and when we are at the bottom like this when our silhouette is not breaking the surface, they do not see us as a threat and we can do this. Unbelievable, talking about taking a theory to practice. »
Wade: But it will not be long before the water, and phytosaurs like these ones, are getting dangerously warm. For now, though, their intentions seem benign.
Not wanting to test their luck with the giants, both Nigel and Wade resumed their search of the Anaschisma browni. As the two continued the search, Nigel picked up what seemed like snails occasionally. They were tiny, being only 11 mm long.
« So, what are you capturing, Nigel? » Wade asked. « Eucycloscala subbisertus, sea snails belonging to the family Eucyclidae. They managed to get here because it is likely that we are near blackish waters. » Nigel explained, after having captured a good group, around 80 of them. Around them were some Arganodus, eating some of the said snails. All around them, various Arganodus searched in the river bed for said snails.
After a while, however, Wade noticed a dark shape on the bottom of the river. As he got closer, he realized what it was: two Anaschisma, resting on the river floor. « Nigel, I see an Anaschisma, or maybe two! » Wade told his colleague. « All right, I am coming! » Nigel responded, as he swam towards Wade. « All right, if we start poking it at the tail, we should be able to get it near the shallows. » Nigel explained.
« So, we try and grab the tail? » Wade asked. « Yes, but we must be careful, it is still a large animal with sharp teeth. Let us keep a distance. » Nigel warned his colleague.
Wade: It is a tough, robust, and large animal, so we need to be extremely careful. This is not a monster I can catch on the end of a line. We have got to get their attention and lure them to the shallows.
Nigel was the first to move, grabbing one by the tail, before dodging a bite from the amphibian. Slowly but steadily, both giants started to chase Nigel and Wade to the shallows and, with a lot of patience and reflexes, they were lured nearly out of the water.
Now that the two giants were in the muddy shallows, both Nigel and Wade jumped on their back, holding them in place with their weight in time for the rest of the crew to arrive and restrain their jaws and limbs. As they wrestled the two animals, they thrashed around violently.
Wade: Temnospondyls grew bigger than this, but wow these two are aggressive, even though we mean them no harm. The good thing is, that these guys unlike fish, are just as at home on land as they are on the water. Pretty soon they calm down.
« These are a male and a female Anaschisma browni » Nigel explained the crew. « Thank goodness we managed to stay away from these jaws! » Wade exclaimed. « Yeah, they were not that amused that we pulled them out of the water. » Nigel commented. « They kinda look like fishes but got hands. » Wade added.
Wade: There are only a handful of species of temnospondyls that have endured the Great Dying, and these few species will also perish at the end of the Triassic. With two animals on our hands, a male and a female, we have the park's first breeding pair of animals.
But as the two animals were secured in large cages, the sound of slashing water caught the group attention.
Wade: But it looks like our efforts have caught the attention of unwanted company.
The Vancleavea group emerged out of the water in a hurry. Shortly after, the reason why it exited the river begun to chase after them. A huge Angistorhinus came out of the water, attempting to grab the smaller reptiles. Not long after, a Smilosuchus also joined the chase.
One would think that a creature designed for swimming would fare poorly on dry land. But there are fossil footprints of phytosaurs conquering the land just as well as their more terrestrial cousins. Even then, crocodiles have been proven to be extremely fast on land when needed.
As the two apex predators started to run on dry land, the humans hastily opened the time portal to escape. « Quick! Into the portal! Just move, move, move! » Nigel commanded, as the expedition darted inside with the two Anaschisma. But as they darted inside, they were soon followed.
Xxxxxxx
Back in the 21st century, Bob is greeted by the sight of the crew carrying large cages containing the giant amphibians. He was also shocked by the arrival of several other giant reptiles. « Bob! Open the gate! » Nigel exclaimed, as he, Wade and the crew darted in a cage where the three reptiles could not enter. « All right, try and get their attention! » Bob commanded other park staff members. Soon, the two large phytosaurs were lured into separate dens, while the Vancleavea group ran in another den of their own out of panic.
« Nigel! Wade! What have you brought here!? I thought you were after Placerias! » Bob scolded the two. « There has been a change of plan. We tried to seek out for Placerias down the river, given the fact that in life they very likely lived like hippos, but instead we found a lungfish, Arganodus dorotheae, two giant amphibians, Anaschisma browni, a giant tuatara, Fraserosphenodon latidens, about 80 aquatic snails, Eucycloscala subbisertus, and then there were these giant reptiles that followed us, a group of Vancleavea campi, Angistorhinus grandis and Smilosuchus gregorii. » Nigel explained.
« And where are the three stooges? » Bob then asked. « They are fine, they are with Adam, so they should be safe. One we relocated the animals to their enclosure; we should go back and make sure they are okay. » Nigel responded. « Well, I hope so, I hate to live with the guilt to have caused the death of Top Gear presenters. Those guys are fun! » Bob joked.
Not exactly what Nigel was after, but a giant lungfish, two giant amphibians, a group of weird mixes between an otter and a crocodile, a prehistoric tuatara, two dino-sized croc mimics and a group of prehistoric snails are a good start for the park.
Xxxxxxx
Hello people of the internet.
This isn't necessarily something that I wanted to do since the beginning of time. It is something that I wanted to do recently, inspiring myself by Flameal15k.
However, before you say anything, I just want to say that this is not me copy pasting his story. I want to create something original and different. I especially wanted to make things different when reaching original content outside of what Prehistoric Park originally did.
While I found Flameal15k story interesting (hell, I like it AND the variety of animals shown), the adding of the OC sounded a bit…iffy for me? This is neither a critique nor do I want him to stop making his story. Everyone has different tastes and I wish for him to continue the story if he so wishes to. This is simply my take on a possible remake of Prehistoric Park, and by no means I intend to replace him.
Another difference from his take, is the fact that there will be no OC species in this story. All animals that are shown here have been described in scientific papers. Sure, some may be nomen duben, but essentially, I want to show animals that have been discovered, albeit from fragmentary remains. Again, not a critique, just something I want to do to differentiate my story from his.
As for Prehistoric Park, Prehistoric Park is a show by Impossible Pictures, the studio that made Walking with Dinosaurs, Walking with Beasts, Walking with Monsters (these three are called the Trilogy of Life), Walking with Cavemen, Chased by Dinosaurs, Sea Minsters, and Primeval, which asked the question: what if the job of preserving dinosaurs was given to a wildlife sanctuary that only cares about preservation instead of stupid greedy corporations that fuck up every single god damn time?
Now, just the fact that Impossible Pictures made Primeval does not mean I will have Nigel travel in the future to save a Future Predator. His travels will be only in the past.
The story will continue until every angle of the planet will be explored from every geological era, and with the exception of Foraminifera and plants and some exceptions, Nigel will save EVERYTHING. From the biggest sauropod to the tiniest ostracod. From the most active predator to the bivalve that sit on the sea bed.
The way I will determine which animals inhabited a certain region of the world Nigel will visit is thanks to this glorious site called PBDB Navigator, which for a palaeontologist is just the best, the GOAT, I mean, have you heard about JESUS? Well not even that guy could highlight the fauna of the past as well as this site can!
Here's the link if you're interested.
/navigator/
Any suggestions for Nigel next expeditions are welcomed, but will take a time. If you want any other biologist or TV host to join Nigel adventure, feel free to tell me.
This story is also a nice experimentation for me to try new narration styles, so in short:
Italics= Narrator talking
Regular text= the story and the dialogues
X characters= «talks»= the character is narrating as if he was narrating the documentary
«I'm talking » said X character= the character is talking as he was discussing with someone, not narrating.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please comment so I can learn your opinion. I'm willing to accept suggestions, so stay tuned. Also remember to like and follow. See you on the next chapter.